Business

Electronics maker Foxconn found underage interns at Chinese factory

BEIJING — Electronics manufacturer Foxconn said Tuesday it found underage interns as young as 14 working at one of its factories in China.

Foxconn Technology Group said the interns were found by a company investigation at its factory in the eastern city of Yantai and were sent back to their schools. China's minimum legal working age is 16.

Foxconn, owned by Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is best known as the manufacturer of Apple's iPhone but said the Yantai factory had no connection with its work for Apple.

The company said it is investigating with schools how the interns were sent to its factory. It didn't say how many underage interns it found.

"We recognize that full responsibility for these violations rests with our company, and we have apologized to each of the students for our role in this action," Foxconn said in a statement. "Any Foxconn employee found, through our investigation, to be responsible for these violations will have their employment immediately terminated."

Foxconn produces iPhones and iPads for Apple, and also assembles products for Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. The company gave no indication what products were made in facilities where the interns worked.

A labor rights group, China Labor Watch, said primary responsibility lay with the schools involved but "Foxconn is also culpable for not confirming the ages of its workers."

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